With the expansion of telecommunication and computer technology, increasing amounts of electronic equipment are required at various commercial and business facilities. To facilitate interconnection and access to such equipment, it is typically installed in a common room. Further, technological advancements are permitting more and more electronic equipment to be fit into increasingly smaller spaces. These forces are combining to produce relatively dense electronic installations that generate increasing amounts of heat. For such equipment to operate properly, and to maintain comfort for persons operating and working on such equipment, it is necessary to provide a relatively stable and comfortable temperature and humidity. This has typically been accomplished through the use of air conditioning.
As the density of electronic equipment has increased, it has become increasingly difficult to remove the heat introduced by the electronics from the rooms where such equipment is operated using the conventional room air conditioning alone. It has therefore become necessary to install additional localized cooling for enclosures containing electronic equipment that will remove the heat generated by the electronic equipment from the room, thereby minimizing or eliminating the heat load on the air conditioning equipment.